Along with upcoming graduations and promotions—mostly taking place the first week of June—AUSD is looking forward to several important facility openings over the next several months.
[1]First up: The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Kofman Auditorium [2] will be on May 22 at 4 p.m. Upgrades for the theater include replacement fire and proscenium curtains; new fixed battens (for hanging the curtains); a full-size projection screen and state-of-the-art projector; new balcony guardrails; strengthened balcony light fixtures; new stage lights, sound systems, and control panels; a beautifully refinished stage floor; and three new dressing rooms to replace those that had been built beneath the stage and were not accessible.
Then, in early August, the new Wood Middle School campus will open [3]. This gorgeous facility boasts a new classroom building, a new administrative/library building, a new gymnasium, and gardens and green spaces. Two new access roads will help mitigate traffic in the area, as well as provide parking for 80 cars.
After Wood is moved off the old Lum site and into its new home, Otis teachers and staff will take up residence on the temporary campus while they, too, get a brand new project. That project [4] will include a new administrative building and media center, a two-story classroom building, and an academic quad, as well as new shade and playground structures and freshly striped blacktop.
Just a few short months later (likely October), we expect the new Alameda High School swim center [5] to open. This replacement center will provide vastly improved aquatic facilities for AUSD students and the City of Alameda, including a new 12-lane by 30-meter competition pool for swimming and water polo, a four-lane practice pool, new pool deck with lighting, all new non-climbable fencing, and other aquatic amenities. The project also provides a new tennis court to replace a court that was demolished as needed for the enlarged pools.
The project got delayed to allow time for AUSD to work with the Alameda County Health Department in investigating and remediating impacted soil and groundwater [5]. That work is now complete.
The Kofman, Wood, Otis, and AHS swim projects were all made possible by the Measure I and Measure B facility bonds, and we are so grateful to our community for supporting these measures. Students, staff, and the community as a whole will all benefit from having clean, safe, modern, and aesthetically pleasing facilities here on the island.
Susan Davis is the Senior Manager of Community Affairs for the Alameda Unified School District. Reach her at [email protected] [6].